Did you ever think about how important visuals are in our everyday life? If there was an article that was six pages long of just words, would you run to read it? If you're anything like me, probably not. But now, pretend the article had pictures or videos embedded into it, and was split up using subtitles. Now I don't know about you, but that seems more interesting to me.
In John Medina's book, Brain rules, he writes as rule number 10, that vision trumps all other senses. He says that pictures are more efficient than words. I 100 percent agree! Our brains get tired when reading too many words and we end up not remembering anything. But pictures, and visuals in general, can leave impressions and evoke feelings in us that words cannot, without the hassle of having to put effort in reading. He also teaches that our brains remember pictures more than words. If we hear something, three days later, we will remember 10 percent of it. But if you add a picture, you'll remember 65 percent.
Pictures are part of our everyday life. Ever heard the quote "A picture is worth a thousand words"? Well its true. Our brains naturally look to pictures rather than the actual words on a page. The pictures actually mean more, because our brains will comprehend it much more easily than it will a bunch of long, boring words. Pictures can tell the story on their own, and it is just as effective. Think of a children's book. It is usually illustrated so that the child will pay more attention and show more interest in the story. And this doesn't only apply to kids, but adults as well.
Watch this cute little video that shows how visuals are a great alternative to repeating yourself all day.
So now that you know about the importance of visuals, pay more attention to the role they play in our everyday lives. The next time your driving down the street and see a logo on a storefront, you'll remember this. Or the next time you're reading an article and see a picture, graph, or chart on the side, you will remember this! Use your visuals, they appeal to people more than words do!
<3 Berta